Twisted Braided Updo on Natural Hair

Consistently wearing my hair stretched is one of the best decisions I’ve ever made regarding my hair. Wearing it this way makes it so easy to create twisted and braided updos such as the one you see in this post.

I used to absolutely struggle getting my hair stretched and keeping it that way. That was until I learned that stretching 4b hair is a process. It starts on the day you wash your hair and continues on to how you style it the following days. There’s a video on my YouTube channel that shows how I stretch my hair.

Now, I’m not good with wash and go and bantu knot out hair styles, but I can knock up an updo like nobody’s business. If I ever decided to go into natural hairstyling, it would be strictly bridal and special occasion. I can’t do anything else.

The style you see in this post is absolutely perfect for any special occasion, from weddings, to funerals (with a fascinator #yasss), and also to not as special occasions, like work. This is actually really “corporate friendly”. I didn’t want to type that just now, but unfortunately, there are still people who think that natural hair in it’s curly/kinky state is not appropriate for the work place. I think it depends on where you live though. I went into a leading bank in The Bahamas the other day, and I saw pretty diverse natural hairstyles, from a golden twist out to faux locs. #ThingsAChangin

The best part about this style, to me, is that it requires absolutely no pins in the back. I’m sure anyone who has dealt with the annoying sensation that comes with wearing pins for a long period can appreciate that. Of course, the front requires pins, but hey, you can’t always get what you want.

I created this style on my way to an outfit of the day shoot for my fashion blog, kyssmystyle.com. In, the past, I’ve usually worn curly wigs because honestly, they’re easier to deal with than my hair. Y’all know natural hair has a personality, and I can’t afford for my hair to be doing it’s own thing. Sunday is usually my only day to shoot with mom or bae, so things have to work out.

But now that I’ve mastered (okay, well, semi-mastered) stretching my hair, I feel more confident that my hair won’t act up while I’m on “set.”

You don’t really hear the phrase “natural hair journey” as much as you did a few years ago, but it really is a journey. I remember in 2013 coming back to The Bahamas from college in Minnesota feeling so discouraged about my hair. The change in weather interrupted my already inconsistent regimen. Then I discovered the high puff, and it literally saved me from relaxing my hair and forgetting this whole YouTube thing.

Then puff started messing with my edges. I also pick my edges on impulse (don’t ask lol), so I had to relax off the puff for a while. Seeing that this was my go to style that made me feel beautiful (and I hate wearing my hair down), I had to find another style. That was when I started stretching my hair and wearing stretched styles. Like I said, it’s one of the best decisions I’ve ever made with my hair.